[nw_arizona_granny]

Wow!

4 bombs in the car, it appears the wife was not a willing partner.

Reminds me of the Iraq reports of suicide cars that had the driver chained to the steering wheel.

There were photos in one of the "You Gotta See This" threads.

[Cindy]

It's an interesting incident.
UPDATES always appreciated.

[nw_arizona_granny]

October 6, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News

Bin Laden to surface after new attack on US soil: ex-CIA expert
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2005/October/theworld_October162.xml&section=theworld

Fresh bombs shake Iraqi capital
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4314654.stm
A car bomb has exploded near the oil ministry in central Baghdad
killing at least nine Iraqis

Caller says he recognized Bali bomber
http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi/20051006-054936-6246r.htm

Bali: Police chase school tip
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/10/05/bali.suspect.ap/index.html
Indonesian police say they are pursuing a tip from a caller who claimed
that one of the Bali bombers studied in an area famous for its hardline
Islamic schools.

(Islamist) 'Militants' kill 5 Thai soldiers
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/10/05/thailand.south.ap/index.html

Senate OKs Terror Suspect Treatment Limits
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171394,00.html

Pakistan to consider Afghan request for Taleban spokesman
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/October/subcontinent_October199.xml&section=subcontinent

Column: U.S. companies and Islamic law (Rachel Ehrenfeld)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20051005-092022-7457r.htm

Taliban Spokesman: Mullah Omar Hiding in Afghanistan
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171301,00.html

Man beheaded on eve of Ramadan in south Thailand
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-10-05T125703Z_01_DIT545604_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-THAILAND.xml&archi

Police: Iraqi mosque blast kills at least 10
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/05/iraq.main/index.html

(Oklahoma) Bomber's Roommate Held Briefly After Attack
http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/5060237/detail.html

FBI Statement on Joel Hinrichs Suicide at Univ. of Oklahoma
Acrobat file: "At this time, there is no known link between Hinrichs
and any terrorist or extremist organization(s) or activities"
http://www.newsok.com/cc/o4_fbi_statement.pdf

'Spanish Taliban' gets six-year jail term
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051005/wl_afp/spainafghanistanjusticeqaedaguantanamo_051005135354;_ylt=Au0dxcI7BgQu4lATFG48gZuQOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Eleven embassies in Malaysia threatened over Muslims
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051005/wl_afp/malaysiasecuritymuslim;_ylt=Akdx6lZU7xKJqTHmi0aUb5SQOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Senate Will Probe Saudi Distribution Of Hate Materials
http://www.nysun.com/article/20998

(UK) Five held in 'laundering' probe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/4311278.stm

Two dead in terrorist attacks in Algeria
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2005/October/middleeast_October129.xml&section=middleeast&col=

Suicide bomber kills Afghan boy, wounds Canadians
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-10-05T130406Z_01_MAR526086_RTRIDST_0_CANADA-AFGHAN-BLAST-COL.XML

(Turkey) AP: Infiltrating al-Qaida Cells Difficult
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5322398,00.html

[nw_arizona_granny]

TerroristWarning.com Terrorism Headlines 10/06/2005 # 1

National:

[ABC News] USA - Espionage Case Breaches the White House

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1187030&page=1

[KWTX] TEXAS - Fort Hood Service Center Closed After Suspicious Substance Found

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/1889077.html

[AP] CANADA - Death Toll From Canada Outbreak Now at 16

"cause of the outbreak at the Seven Oaks Home for the Aged remains unknown"

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/05/D8D244U8C.html

[AP] NORTH CAROLINA - Feds Charge Three Working at Fort Bragg With Immigration Violations

"Three people who taught foreign languages at a school at Fort Bragg were arrested on immigration charges"

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB7UGV2GEE.html

[AP] USA - Cheney Urges Patience in Decades-Long War on Terror

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB1SQY2GEE.html

[NBC News and news services] USA - White House scare over suspicious package

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9597893/

[NBC4.tv] CALIFORNIA - 'Suspicious Device' Prompts Evacuation In Long Beach

"cylinder-type device with a timer attached to it"

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/5059211/detail.html

[WND] USA / MEXICO BORDER - Is border fence needed to protect U.S. security?

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46659

[U.S. Coast Guard] FLORIDA - Migrant Smugglers Thwarted by Coast Guard, DHS Partners

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,78163,00.html

[AFP] USA / IRAN - Iran Issues Threat To US Interests

"The Americans should know that if they put more pressure on our country, Iran will be obliged to use all means to disrupt the situation and endanger its interests,"

http://www.spacewar.com/news/iran-05zzzza.html

[Voices Magazine] USA / IRAQ - Top Generals Urge Public Support for Iraq Policy

http://voicesmag.com/Archives/News/oct2005/top_generals_public_support_iraq_100305.htm

[Voices Magazine Jim Kouri] USA - JDL Leader Sentenced to 20 Years For Terrorist Plot

"admitted his role in two criminal conspiracies to manufacture and detonate bombs at a mosque and a Congressman's field office "

http://voicesmag.com/Archives/kouri/jdl_leader_sentenced_20years_100505.htm

[NewsHour Extra] USA - FBI Targets MS-13 Street Gang

"Congress also has begun working on legislation to make gang crimes federal offenses with mandatory minimum sentences, after rumors surfaced that MS-13 may have had connections to al-Qaida"

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/gangs_10-05.html

[WCPO] OHIO - Live Pipe Bomb Found In Colerain Township

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/10/05/pipebomb.html

[The Mercury] PENNSYLVANIA - Officials: No bomb found in vehicle

http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15337551&BRD=1674&PAG=461&dept_id=18041&rfi=6

[The JHU Gazette] USA - Physicians Ill-Prepared to Diagnose or Treat Bioterrorism Diseases

"More than one-half of 631 physicians tested were unable to correctly diagnose diseases caused by agents most likely to be used by bioterrorists, such as smallpox, anthrax, botulism and plague"

http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2005/03oct05/03illpre.html

[U.S. Department of the Treasury] USA - Treasury Designates Seven Al Qaida Associates [Egyptian Islamic Jihad]

http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2960.htm

[NorthJersey.com] NEW JERSEY - State police pull out of anti-terror office in N.J.

"decimating the agency's investigative ability and bringing its terror probes to a virtual standstill"

"It's totally, definitely and completely irresponsible. It's not a game that's being played - this is the health and well-being of New Jersey we're talking about"

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MDYmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY3ODY1NDEmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXky

[Government Technology] NEW JERSEY - New Jersey Receives Port Security Grants

http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/96855

[Rocky Mountain News] COLORADO - State has plan for avian flu

"Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates that up to 100 million Americans could be infected during a pandemic, and 89,000 to 207,000 could die"

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4130045,00.html

International:

[ABC News Online] AUSTRALIA - Police escape injury during Melbourne van blast

"Firefighters say suspicious bags with wires attached were seen in a white van before it burst into flames at Kew in Melbourne's east this morning"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1475652.htm

[SMH] AUSTRALIA - 'Bomb' van explodes as police retreat [photo]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/10/06/1128191818751.html?from=top5

[BBC] SRI LANKA - Bomb blast in Sri Lanka capital

"bomb in a parked van outside a newspaper office of a Tamil political party "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4314500.stm

[B92] KOSOVO - Bomb destroys UN vehicle in Kosovo

http://www.b92.net/english/news/index.php?&nav_category=&nav_id=33034&order=priority&style=headlines

[Trinidad Express] TRINIDAD / TOBAGO - US issues warning for citizens to avoid PoS next week

"US Citizens are advised to avoid the downtown Port of Spain vicinity during the period October 9-12 as a precautionary measure due to a pattern of bombings which have occurred in public locations on the 10th or
11th of each of the previous three months"

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=106549508

[AP] IRAQ - Video Shows Beheading of Two Iraqi Men Alleged to Be U.S. Spies

"video showing two Iraqi men being beheaded for allegedly spying for the United States was posted on a militant Islamic Web site Wednesday"

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBE4H91GEE.html

[Japan Today] JAPAN - Anthrax, resistant TB not stored properly at many Japanese labs

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=1&id=351256

[IHC Report] USA / SYRIA - US State Department Official: Syria Actively Supports Terrorism

http://www.infoisrael.net/cgi-local/text.pl?source=2/a/i/021020051

[MENL] SYRIA / RUSSIA - SYRIA PREPARES FOR S-18 DELIVERY

"Syria has been finalizing arrangements for the receipt of S-18 surface-to-air missiles from Russia"

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/october/10_02_3.html

[AP] ISRAEL - PA: Security forces will stand firm

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1128219508282

[Taiwan Journal] TAIWAN / USA / CHINA / JAPAN - Military experts at conference urge closer ties with US, Japan

"to counter China's growing military threat in the Taiwan Strait"

http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/4-oa/20051005/2005100501.html

[Welwyn and Hatfield TImes] UNITED KINGDOM - White powder shock for villager [False Alarm]

"frightened man from Danesbury Park Road, Welwyn, feared it was anthrax and called the police"

http://www.whtimes.co.uk/content/whtimes/news/story.aspx?brand=WHTOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newswhtnew&itemid=WEED05%20Oct%202005%2010%3A40%3A35%3A287

[London Free Press] AFGHANISTAN - Afghan bomb kills boy, injures Canadians

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/International/2005/10/06/1250483-sun.html

[AP] TURKEY - Nations Struggle to Infiltrate al-Qaida

"Turkish intelligence agents are infiltrating mosques, monitoring underground Web sites and investigating Islamic front charities but are having little success penetrating al-Qaida's tight-knit cells"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051005/ap_on_re_mi_ea/infiltrating_al_qaida;_ylt=An1Itf49pmfcTsTAyS8DcvxvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[BBC] UNITED KINGDOM / IRAN / IRAQ - Iran 'behind attacks on British'

"Britain has accused Iran of responsibility for explosions which have caused the deaths of all eight UK soldiers killed in Iraq this year"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4312516.stm

[AKI] SUDAN - AL-QAEDA MAY STILL BE OPERATING TRAINING CAMPS IN SUDAN, PRELATE SAYS

http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.215351001&par=0

[AFX] IRAQ - US general warns of increased Baghdad insurgent attacks ahead of Oct 15 vote

http://www.forbes.com/finance/feeds/afx/2005/10/05/afx2261566.html

[Intl Crisis Group] EGYPT - Reforming Egypt: In Search of a Strategy

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3718&l=2

[Daily Standard] IRAN - General Panic ... Meet Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran's anti-American Qods Force

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/156kncex.asp

[nw_arizona_granny]

[part one]------------ INFLUENZA VIRUS, 1918 PANDEMIC STRAIN: RECONSTRUCTION (02) ********************************************************** A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases ---------------------------------- Sponsored in part by Elsevier, publisher of Tuberculosis ------------------------------------ Date: Thu 6 Oct 2005 From: ProMED-mail Source: Nature, 437, 794-795 (6 Oct 2005) / doi: 10.1038/437794a [edited] ____________________________________________________________ [The following special report amplifies the information contained in the BBC News item posted yesterday and considers some of the issues and concerns raised by this singular achievement. The correct references for the 2 papers published simultaneously in Nature and Science are the following: Jeffery K. Taubenberg et al. Nature 437, 889-893, 2005; and T. M. Tumpey et al. Science 310, 77 80; 2005. - Mod.CP] ______________________________________________________________ The recreation of one of the deadliest diseases known could help us to prevent another pandemic. Or it might trigger one, say critics. ---------------------------------------- It is thought to have killed 50 million people, and yet scientists have brought it back to life. In this issue of Nature, scientists publish an analysis of the full genome sequence of the 1918 human influenza virus. And in this week's Science, researchers describe how they used that sequence to recreate the virus and study its effects in mice. ------------------------------------- Some scientists have already hailed the work as giving unprecedented insight into the virus. Working out how it arose and why it was so deadly could help experts to spot the next pandemic strain and to design appropriate drugs and vaccines in time, they say. But others have raised concerns that the dangers of resurrecting the virus are just too great. One biosecurity expert told Nature that the risk that the recreated strain might escape is so high, it is almost a certainty. And the publication of the full genome sequence gives any rogue nation or bioterrorist group all the information they need to make their own version of the virus. Jeffery Taubenberger of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, Maryland, is the lead author of the sequencing study. He says the work was necessary and the risks were low. The paper gives details of the final three genes; the sequences of the rest have already been published. [see: Characterization of the 1918 influenza virus polymerase genes. Jeffery K. Taubenberg, Ann H. Reid, Raina M. Lourens, Ruixue Wang, Guozhong Jin & Thomas G Fanning. Nature 437, 889-893, 6 Oct 2005 ______________________________________________________________ ]. ------------------------------------- The full sequence is strong evidence that the 1918 flu virus is derived wholly from an ancestor that originally infected birds. In contrast, the viruses that caused the flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968 arose when human and avian flu viruses infected the same person at the same time, allowing their genes to mix. ----------------------------------- All 8 of the genome segments from the 1918 virus differ in important ways from other human flu sequences, suggesting that none of the genome came from a strain that had previously infected people. "It is the most bird-like of all mammalian flu viruses," says Taubenberger. Pinpointing exactly which genetic mutations allowed the virus to jump to humans will enable scientists to recognize other bird viruses that could trigger a pandemic. Taubenberger's team has already identified 25 changes in the protein sequences of the 1918 strain that have been present in subsequent human flu viruses. These mutations are likely to be particularly important, he says. One such change, in the polymerase gene PB2, was found in the virus isolated from the only human fatality in a 2003 outbreak of H7N7 bird flu in the Netherlands. ------------------------------------- In the paper in Science (T. M. Tumpey et al. 310, 77 80; 2005), Terrence Tumpey at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and his co-workers have used Taubenberger's sequence to recreate the complete 1918 virus. When they used the strain to infect mice they found it was extremely virulent, and after 4 days had generated 39 000 times more virus particles in the animals' lungs than a modern flu strain. "I didn't expect it to be as lethal as it was," says Tumpey. All the mice died within 6 days of infection with the 1918 virus and none with a contemporary virus. ------------------------------------- The researchers compared the complete 1918 virus with strains in which some genes had been replaced by those of contemporary strains. They found that replacing the haemagglutinin gene, which helps the virus to enter cells, made it unable to kill mice. Replacing all 3 of the polymerase genes, which allow the virus to replicate, significantly reduced its virulence. The haemagglutinin gene is essential, says Tumpey. "But no single change or gene is the answer," adds Taubenberger. "It's a combination effect." Future research will involve testing reconstructed viruses with and without certain mutations, to see which are the most important for virulence. --------------------------------------- Information from this type of study will hopefully be of use in vaccine and drug design, but so far the work is more about obtaining a basic understanding of the virus than any immediate health benefits. ---------------------------------------- The studies have been praised as ground-breaking. "It's a landmark," says Eddie Holmes, a virologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. "Not only is this the 1st time this has been done for any ancient pathogen, but it deals with the agent of the most important disease pandemic in human history." The team got permission to do the work from CDC head Julie Gerberding and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, based in Bethesda, Maryland. But the studies have sparked fears among other researchers. "There most definitely is reason for concern," says Richard Ebright, a bacteriologist at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, who serves on biosecurity panels. "Tumpey et al. have constructed, and provided procedures for others to construct, a virus that represents perhaps the most effective bioweapons agent now known." ------------------------------------------------------- "This would be extremely dangerous should it escape, and there is a long history of things escaping," says Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, a molecular biologist and member of the Federation of American Scientists' Working Group on Biological Weapons. "What advantage is so much greater than that risk?" ______________________________________________________________ Ebright agrees that there is a significant risk, "verging on inevitability", of accidental release of the virus into the human population, or of theft by a "disgruntled, disturbed or extremist laboratory employee". And there is the danger that a hostile nation might reconstruct its own version of the virus, he says, pointing out that any of these scenarios could result in a large number of deaths [including, however, many in the nation that released the virus. - Mod.JW] [continued]

[nw_arizona_granny]

[continued - part 2 - 1918 Flu]----------------------------- Ebright also believes that using an enhanced biosafety level-3 lab for the work was inadequate. If the researchers were going to do the work at all, they should have used level 4, the strictest biosafety condition, he says. ------------------------------- This requires experimenters to wear full body suits. In 2003, he points out, a SARS virus escaped accidentally from a level-3 lab in Singapore, and in 2004, 2 further escapes occurred from such labs in Beijing. Tumpey counters that enhanced level 3, which requires upper body suits and respirators, is safe enough. Disgruntled employees aren't a concern either, he says, because he is the only one who works with the virus. The few researchers with access to the lab undergo extensive background checks, and retina and fingerprint scans are used to prevent any unauthorized entry to the lab. He adds that even if the virus did escape, it wouldn't have the same consequences as the 1918 pandemic. ______________________________________________________________ Most people now have some immunity to the 1918 virus because subsequent human flu viruses are in part derived from it. And, in mice, regular flu vaccines and drugs are at least partly effective against an infection with reconstructed viruses that contain some of the genes from 1918 flu. _______________________________________________________________ The other potential threat comes from the availability of the full genome sequence, which has been put on the GenBank database -- a condition of the paper's publication. Anyone can order DNA to be made to a certain sequence, points out Jonathan Tucker, a policy analyst at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington DC. There are currently no governmental controls on what sequences can be used, says Tucker, although some DNA synthesis companies now screen their orders for pathogenic sequences. ------------------------------- If someone wants to reconstruct the virus, says Taubenberger, "the technology is available". Philip Campbell, editor-in-chief of Nature, says that although he did not seek advice on whether to publish the work, he has done so for previous flu-virulence and pathogen genome papers. He says that the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. Donald Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Science, agrees about the merits of publication. "I think we are going to depend on this kind of knowledge," he says. --------------------------------------- The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) reached a similar conclusion about both studies, after calling an emergency meeting last week to consider the risks. But, concerned about public fears, it asked the authors of both papers to add a passage to the manuscripts stating that the work is important for public health and was conducted safely. Campbell says he is worried that government agencies will start seeking to be involved in the publishing process. ------------------------------------------ "We are happy to cooperate with the NSABB to consider the principles by which dual-use results can be published responsibly," he says. "But government bureaucracies and committees may push to avoid perceived risks, at the potential expense of benefits to public security." ______________________________________________________________ Taubenberger admits that there can be no absolute guarantee of safety. "We are aware that all technological advances could be misused," he says. "But what we are trying to understand is what happened in nature and how to prevent another pandemic. In this case, nature is the bioterrorist." ------------------------------- [Byline: Andreas von Bubnoff] -- ProMED-mail -------------------------------- [see also: Influenza virus, 1918 pandemic strain: reconstruction 20051005.2901 Influenza activity update & 2005/2006 vaccine reco... 20050915.2726 2004 ---- Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 pandemic strain 20041007.2754 Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 ... (02) 20041008.2757 Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 ... (03) 20041009.2769, Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 ... (04) 20041011.2780, Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 ... (05) 20041013.2790, Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 ... (06) 20041013.2793, Influenza A virus, virulence, 1918 ... (02) 20041015.2810] .....................cp/pg/jw

[nw_arizona_granny]

TerroristWarning.com Terrorism Headlines 10/07/2005 # 1

National:

[New York Sun] USA / SAUDI ARABIA - Senate Will Probe Saudi Distribution Of Hate Materials

"The American government is demanding that Saudi Arabia account for its distribution of hate material to American mosques"

"dozens of mosques in major cities across the country, including New York, Washington, and Los Angeles, were distributing documents, bearing the seal of the government of Saudi Arabia, that incite
Muslims to acts of violence and promote hatred of Jews and Christians"

http://www.nysun.com/article/20998

[AFP] USA - Bin Laden to surface after new attack on US soil: ex-CIA expert

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/05/051006013432.k4e6rfb7.html

[AHN] USA - FBI Discloses A 'Specific Threat' Against New York City

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7000410179

[Times Online] NEW YORK - New York subway on alert after 'credible threat' of attack

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1815565,00.html

[AP] NEW YORK - Television Station Held Subway Threat Story Over Security Concerns

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBSI1CVHEE.html

[AP] USA - Bush: 10 Al-Qaida Attacks Stopped

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/5064741/detail.html

[AFP] USA - Three Al-Qaeda strikes foiled in US since September 11: Bush

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051006/wl_afp/usattacksbush_051006164052;_ylt=AmeHBR6gcPh2Ud2TbwZ4AjOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b3JuZGZhBHNlYwM3MjE-

[Reuters] USA - White House details 10 terror plots in Bush speech

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N06698778.htm

[The Australian] AUSTRALIA / USA - PM not aware of foiled al-Qaeda plots

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16843195%255E1702,00.html

[FCW] USA - Google: Fit for intelligence work?

http://www.fcw.com/article90984-10-03-05-Print

[ClickOnDetroit.com] MICHIGAN - Bomb Squad Called For Device Found In Barn

"Firefighter Makes Discovery Beneath Car"

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/5066487/detail.html

[GCN] USA - TSA seeks technology to round up the usual suspects

http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/37222-1.html

[BBC] USA - CIA head rejects 9/11 blame game

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4314268.stm

[AP] OKLAHOMA - Bomber's Roommate Held Briefly After Attack

http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/5060237/detail.html

[AP] USA - Senate: Treat Suspects Like POWs

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171394,00.html

[Village Voice] USA - Marines: Looking for a Few Good Aliens?

"U.S. Marine recruiter accused of selling and delivering counterfeit documents to illegal aliens in order for them to join the service"

http://villagevoice.com/news/0540,gillison,68594,2.html

[Angus Reid Global Scan] USA - Americans Split Over Homeland Security Success

"45 per cent of respondents say the Department of Homeland Security has made Americans safer, while 49 per cent disagree"

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/9261

[UPI] USA / MEXICO BORDER - Minutemen arrival chases away smugglers

"Al Garza, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of Texas, said the civilian volunteers will stay at their posts until relieved by the National Guard"

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20051004-104448-5748r.htm

[AP] NEW YORK - One dead, several injured in blast at home for migrant workers

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=3944804

[KVOA] ARIZONA - The U.S. Border Patrol is getting new stations in Willcox and Sonoita

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3939697&nav=HMO6HMaY

[AP] IDAHO - Seven illegal aliens arrested for working at Mountain Home AFB

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=ID%20Immigration%20Arrests%20Idaho

[NWI Times] ILLINOIS - Cops find, detonate car bomb

http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2005/10/06/news/top_news/96b207b7f506ba4086257092001a02d1.txt

[Witchita Eagle] KANSAS - Billboard seeks public's help spotting terrorists

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/12813930.htm

[ClickOnDetroit.com] MICHIGAN - Doctors Label Source Of Mysterious School Illness

"Doctors are labeling a mysterious illness at a Pittsfield Township high school as psychosomatic"

"Several students passed out and went to the hospital"

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/5065510/detail.html

[Mens News Daily - Jim Kouri] USA - Feds, Local Cops Arrest 59 Smugglers in 11 Cities

http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/kouri/2005/10/feds-local-cops-arrest-59-smugglers-in.html

[AP / KHOU] TEXAS - Several injured in Formosa plant explosion

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou051006_mh_plantexplosion.cae87da6.html

[AP] CANADA - Plane Carrying Viruses Crashes in Canada

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/06/D8D2QNPG2.html

[AP] USA - Bush Presses Vaccine Makers to Prepare for Possible Bird Flu Pandemic

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBYJ3LVHEE.html

[Gainesville Sun] FLORIDA - Al-Qaeda in N. Florida? Commissioner says so

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051006/LOCAL/51006009/1078/news

International:

[Fox News] AFGHANISTAN - U.S. Snags Al Qaeda No. 2's Letter to Zarqawi

"Muslim terrorists have developed a detailed plan for creating an Islamic state centered on Iraq and including neighboring countries as well as the destruction of Israel"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171513,00.html

[Reuters] MIDDLE EAST - Al Qaeda puts job ads on Internet - Arab paper

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-10-06T131639Z_01_HAR647328_RTRUKOC_0_US-QAEDA-JOBS.xml

[AP] EGYPT - Egypt Warns Hamas Over Weapons

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051006/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians;_ylt=AsA8VG3bZ_acGYh4syt5By5vaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Times Online] IRAN / UNITED KINGDOM - Iran brands British bomb claims 'fantasy'

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1813621,00.html

[Pajhwok Afghan News] AFGHANISTAN - Arab escapee vows jihad against US

http://www.pajhwak.com/viewstory.asp?lng=eng&id=7158

[AP] AFGHANISTAN - Taliban Spokesman: Chief Hiding in Afghanistan [Mullah Mohammed Omar]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171301,00.html

[Reuters] PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN - Pakistan to consider Afghan request for Taleban spokesman

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/October/subcontinent_October199.xml&section=subcontinent

[DPA] ALGERIA - Two dead in terrorist attacks in Algeria

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2005/October/middleeast_October129.xml&section=middleeast&col=

[AFP] SPAIN - 'Spanish Taliban' gets six-year jail term

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051005/wl_afp/spainafghanistanjusticeqaedaguantanamo_051005135354;_ylt=Au0dxcI7BgQu4lATFG48gZuQOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Reuters] THAILAND - Man beheaded on eve of Ramadan in south Thailand

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-10-05T125703Z_01_DIT545604_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-THAILAND.xml&archi

[AP] THAILAND - 'Militants' kill 5 Thai soldiers

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/10/05/thailand.south.ap/index.html

[Crosswalk.com] IRAQ - Zarqawi Said to Call for Intensification of Terror During Ramadan

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1355003.html

[AP] ROMANIA -Romania Deports Alleged Qaeda Cell

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/terror/main917335.shtml

[Reuters] ROMANIA - Romania expels al Qaeda suspects to prevent attack

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L06116876.htm

[Christian Science Monitor] ITALY - Want to check your e-mail in Italy? Bring your passport [Antiterror law]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1004/p07s01-woeu.html

[IOL] IRAQ - US forces bomb Iraq's Euphrates bridges

"US-led forces have bombed eight bridges on the Euphrates River in western Iraq to stop insurgents using them"

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=qw1128610260414B262

[PakTribune.com] PAKISTAN - 2 killed in bomb explosion

http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=121440

[UNI] INDIA - 2 soldiers, 3 militants killed, explosives seized in Kashmir

http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=30796

[PTI] INDIA - Five hurt as explosives explode in police station

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200510061565.htm

[Ya Libnan] LEBANON / GERMANY - Jund El Sham Threatens to kill Mehlis

"group calling itself Jund El Sham, threatened to slaughter German Prosecutor Detlev Mehlis, who is heading a U.N. team investigating Rafik Hariri's assassination"

http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2005/10/jund_el_sham_th.php

[nw_arizona_granny]

October 6, 2005 NIGHT Anti-Terrorism News

Al Qaeda Letter Snagged
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171513,00.html
U.S. intercepts message from network's No. 2 to leader of Iraq's
terrorist insurgency Zarqawi

New York subway system on alert
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/06/newyork.subways/index.html
New York City's subway system went under heightened alert Thursday
after officials received information from the FBI about a "specific
threat," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. There were indications that a
terrorist attack on New York's subway system is possible "in the coming days,"
said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Both he and Bloomberg
declined to give further details, citing security concerns. "There is a
possibility that this particular threat may be resolved in the coming
days," said Mark Mershon, assistant director of the FBI's New York field
office. It was the first specific threat against the city's subway
system, Bloomberg said. But the threat did not mention specific subway
stations, he said. "It was more specific as to target," he said. It was
more specific as to timing, and some of the sources had more information
that would lead one to believe that it was not the kind of thing that
appears in the intelligence community every day." Bloomberg urged New
Yorkers to be vigilant.

Security Tightened on New York Subways After Threat
http://www.kxtv.com/storyfull3.aspx?storyid=13502
The threat reportedly involved information that 19 operatives had been
deployed to the city to place bombs in the subway.

NYPD source tells FOX that plot involves 19 operatives who have been
deployed to place bombs in subway
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171491,00.html

(DC Subway) Metro: No Threat Here
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1005/266545.html

LA Transit Officials Increase Security In Wake Of NYC Threat
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/5068075/detail.html

(San Francisco) BART increases security after threat against NYC subway
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/06/MNG7RF3IBL6.DTL

US offers $10m reward for Bali bomb suspect
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3436121a14955,00.html

Full details on foiled terror strikes classified : White House
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20051006/pl_afp/usattacksbushdetails_051006175909
Bush said in a speech earlier that the United States and its partners
had disrupted at least 10 "serious Al-Qaeda" terrorist plots since
September 11, including three in the United States, plus five more attempts
to case targets or inflitrate operatives onto US soil. His spokesman
Scott McClellan said later that one of the foiled attacks Bush was
referring to involved Jose Padilla who has been accused of plotting with
Al-Qaeda to blow up apartment buildings, hotels and gas stations and to use
a radiological "dirty bomb." He was also referring to Iyman Faris, a US
truckdriver who has admitted to plotting to carry out attacks for
Al-Qaeda, including on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, McClellan said.
"There are other incidents that are still classified," said McClellan

(UK) Manchester properties raided in IRA investigation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1586246,00.html?gusrc=rss

Transcript of President Bush's Statement on War on Terror
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/10/20051006-3.html

Student Leader: Hinrichs Not Muslim
http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/5063479/detail.html


-

[nw_arizona_granny]

UNDIAGNOSED RESPIRATORY DEATHS - CANADA (ONTARIO) (03): LEGIONELLOSIS CONFIRMED *************************************** A ProMED-mail post ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases Sponsored in part by Elsevier, publisher of Tuberculosis ______________________________________________________________ Date: 6 Oct 2005 From: ProMED-mail Source: Globe and Mail [edited] ______________________________________________________________ The disease that has killed 16 people at a Toronto nursing home has been identified. The current outbreak at the nursing home is likely Legionnaires' Disease, officials said Thu [6 Oct 2005]. ------------------------------------- 3 of the 16 people who died at the 7 Oaks Home for the Aged tested positive for the pneumonia-type illness, Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical health officer, told a press conference on Thursday. --------------------------------------- Dr. McKeown said there have been no new deaths since Wednesday and it appears that the cases have been waning. -------------------------------------- The bacteria that cause the illness are found in water, the health officials said. Legionellosis is not an airborne disease, they said. ----------------------------------------- Toronto Mayor David Miller emphasized that the city's general population has never been at risk because of the outbreak. ------------------------------------- "In identifying the source we are now able to move effectively to address it." ------------------------------------- All 16 people who died of the respiratory illness that surfaced on 25 Sep [2005] were elderly, and frail from other medical problems. The latest victims were 3 men, who were 75, 84 and 89, and 3 women, who were 85, 92 and 96. In all, 70 residents were affected, along with 13 staff members and 5 visitors. --------------------------------------- The name "Legionnaires' disease" came from an illness that swept through a convention in 1976 in Philadelphia. That convention was held by the American Legion of Pennsylvania. Eventually, the bacterium responsible for the disease was isolated and [called] "_Legionella pneumophila_." -------------------------------------- Since the until-now mystery illness appeared, officials have taken pains to emphasize that it is in no way comparable to the severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS] in 2003 that killed 44 people in the city. ------------------------------------------ On Thursday, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty issued a word of caution against those tempted to compare the death of the residents with the outbreak of SARS. Mr. McGuinty insisted that medical experts have concluded that the [bacterium] was contained and that it posed no threat of spreading. ------------------------------------------ The Premier insisted that there was nothing unusual about the recent outbreak which was not "dissimilar to what happens from time to time" in long term care homes. ---------------------------------------- Toronto's economy was hit hard following the SARS outbreak, as tourists stayed away in droves. [Byline: Allison Dunfield] ________________________________________________________________ -- ProMED-mail --------------------------------------------- [In ProMED-mail post Undiagnosed respiratory deaths - Canada (ON)(02) 20051005.2908, Dr. Steve Berger mentioned: "Regarding the outbreak of respiratory illness at a facility for senior citizens in Ontario, legionellosis appears to have been discounted on the basis of negative urinary antigen tests. Most such tests are designed to detect only _Legionella pneumophila_ serogroup 1. Additional procedures, such as culture and serology, should be performed in order to rule out other strains of Legionella." ______________________________________________________________ From the above newswire, it appears that Dr. Berger's comment was right on target, and further testing of autopsy specimens confirmed Legionella as the etiologic agent of this outbreak. ----------------------------------- Background information on legionellosis in Canada is available on the Gideon website: ______________________________________________________________ [Cases reported in] Ontario (percent of total cases in Canada) 60 in 1991; 39.1 in 1992; 32.2 in 1993; 45.3 in 1994; 44.6 in 1995; 40.7 in 1996; 55.6 in 1997; 50 in 1998; 31.3 in 1999; 72.4 in 2000; 41.7 in 2001 ______________________________________________________________ Notable outbreaks [of legionellosis in Canada]: 1. Memish ZA, Oxley C, Contant J, Garber GE. Plumbing system shock absorbers as a source of Legionella pneumophila. Am J Infect Control 1992 Dec ;20(6):305- 9. 2. Loeb M, Simor AE, Mandell L, Krueger P, McArthur M, James M, Walter S, Richardson E, Lingley M, Stout J, Stronach D, McGeer A. Two nursing home outbreaks of respiratory infection with Legionella sainthelensi. J Am Geriatr Soc 1999 May ;47(5):547-52. [The outbreaks were in 1994.] 3. Abbas Z, Nolan L, Landry L, Galanis E, Egan C. Investigation of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in a hospital under construction: Ontario, September-October 2002. Can Commun Dis Rep 2003 Sep 1;29(17):145-52. - Mod.MPP] __________________________________________________________________ [see also: Undiagnosed respiratory deaths - Canada (ON)(02) 20051005.2908 Undiagnosed respiratory deaths - Canada (ON): RFI 20051003.2889] ..........................mpp/pg/jw *##############################################

[nw_arizona_granny]

New York subway system on alert
Same intelligence led to U.S. raid in Iraq, military source says

Thursday, October 6, 2005; Posted: 7:32 p.m. EDT (23:32 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/06/newyork.subways/index.html

Mayor Bloomberg: "We ask that the public remain vigilant. If you see
something, say something."


A well-placed U.S. military official told CNN on Thursday that the same
intelligence also led to a raid against suspected al Qaeda operatives
in Iraq.


Raymond Kelly.

Both he and Bloomberg declined to give further details, citing security
concerns.

No arrests have been made in Manhattan, but operations continue outside
the city, Kelly said, without mentioning where.

And Bloomberg said that officials "do not have any reason to believe"
that any of the plotters "are in New York at this point in time"

"There is a possibility that this particular threat may be resolved in
the coming days," said Mark Mershon, assistant director of the FBI's
New York field office.

It was the first specific threat against the city's subway system,
Bloomberg said. But the threat did not mention specific subway stations, he
said.

"It was more specific as to target," he said. It was more specific as
to timing, and some of the sources had more information that would lead
one to believe that it was not the kind of thing that appears in the
intelligence community every day."

Bloomberg urged New Yorkers to be vigilant.

"If you see something, say something. Call 311 or 911, if it's an
emergency," he said, urging vigilance. (311 is New York City's phone number
for government information.)

Bloomberg said he still plans to travel on the subway Thursday evening
and Friday. "I have no problems with my daughters taking the subway any
more than me," he said.

An average 4.5 million commuters use New York's subway system daily.

Kelly said that briefcases, baby strollers, luggage and other
containers will draw particular attention, and he asked the public to curtail
their use if possible.

In addition to more bag searches, the city has significantly increased
police presence -- uniformed and undercover -- on the subways and at
station entrances, Kelly and Bloomberg said.

Source: Iraq connection
The highly classified operation involving the U.S. intelligence
community and the U.S. military was carried out against suspected al Qaeda
operatives south of Baghdad, CNN has learned from a well-placed U.S.
military official.

"Significant intelligence was also gathered in this raid, along with al
Qaeda operatives who were rounded up," CNN's Jamie McIntyre reported,
citing the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Few other details were provided about the raid, which occurred in the
town of Musayyib, in the lawless area nicknamed "The Triangle of Death."
But the official said the raid was the result of the same intelligence
about the threat to New York's subway system.

The news came 10 days after the arrest of nine people in France
allegedly plotting attacks on the Paris subway, an airport and an intelligence
agency's headquarters.

"We can't be too careful, and the precautions that New York City has
taken are appropriate and make a good deal of sense," said Sen. Charles
Schumer of New York, a Democrat. "We cannot be in a situation where we
don't turn over every stone. But the bottom line is that in the post-911
world, you can't be too careful."

In July, London's public transportation system was attacked twice. At
least 52 people died and 700 people were wounded when four men detonated
bombs aboard subway trains and a double-decker bus on July 7. The
morning rush-hour attacks made it the city's bloodiest day since World War
II.

Nobody was killed when simultaneous attacks were carried out on three
London subway trains and a bus two weeks later, on July 21.

In a speech Thursday, President Bush said that since September 11,
2001, the United States and its allies have thwarted 10 al Qaeda attacks
worldwide, three of them inside the United States


[Note, parts of post removed]

[nw_arizona_granny]

07 October 2005

Before reading today's in-depth PINR, we encourage you to read
this analyst's last PINR on this subject:

"Setting the Stage for a New Cold War: China's Quest for Energy
Security"
http://www.pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=272

---

Sino-U.S. Energy Competition in Africa
Drafted By: Chietigj Bajpaee
http://www.pinr.com

With oil prices hitting record levels of US$70 per barrel in recent
weeks, major energy consuming countries are engaging in an
increasingly heated competition for energy resources on the
world stage. Nowhere is this more evident than between the
United States and China, the world's first and second largest
energy consuming countries respectively. In the contest for
energy resources, numerous "stages" of competition are
emerging, including the Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America,
and the East and South China Seas. However, Africa is fast
emerging as one of the most volatile stages of Sino-U.S. energy
competition, given its vast reserves of energy resources and
concentration of internal security crises. [See: "Setting the
Stage for a New Cold War: China's Quest for Energy Security"]

Africa owns about eight percent of the world's known oil reserves
with Nigeria, Libya and Equatorial Guinea as the region's leading
oil producers. Seventy percent of Africa's oil production is
concentrated in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, which stretches
from the Ivory Coast to Angola. The low sulphur content of West
African crude makes it of further strategic importance.

However, the region is also vulnerable to instabilities ranging
from piracy to terrorism, interstate and tribal conflict, AIDS and
political uncertainties. Given the weak governments and
significant Muslim populations of the region, the African
continent may also emerge as a hub for al-Qaeda-linked terrorist
groups.

Finally, oil-rich countries in Africa have been unable to escape
the "curse of oil," which has fueled corruption, conflict, and
environmental degradation across the region. For instance, while
Nigeria has earned US$300 billion in oil revenues over the last
25 years, per capita income remains below US$1 per day.
Nigeria is also subject to ethnic violence, oil strikes and sporadic
attacks on oil infrastructure by the Niger Delta People's
Volunteer Force. Adding Sino-U.S. energy competition to this
volatile mix could further destabilize the region.

U.S.-Africa Energy Relations

The U.S. currently derives 15 percent of its oil supplies from
Africa as compared to 22 percent from the Persian Gulf. Within
the next ten years, the U.S. could be depending on Africa for a
quarter of its oil supplies according to the U.S. National
Intelligence Council. Nigeria alone is the fifth biggest source of
U.S. oil imports with the United States accounting for half of
Nigeria's oil exports. Washington has also re-established
diplomatic and energy relations with Libya following the removal
of economic sanctions in September 2003 after Libya abandoned
its nuclear weapons program.

In addition to securing energy supplies in the region, the U.S.
has a burgeoning economic relationship with the region and has
been increasingly concerned with Africa's security situation,
political freedoms and human rights record. U.S.-Africa trade
stood at US$44.5 billion in 2004 with oil-rich Nigeria being the
second-largest source of U.S. investment after South Africa.
Since the September 11 attacks, the U.S. has also stepped up
security cooperation with African states. The U.S. Coast Guard
has increased patrols of the region as well as engaged in
training, intelligence sharing and public relations exercises with
numerous states including Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde,
Ghana, Benin, and Equatorial Guinea.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department's Trans-Sahara Counter
Terrorist Initiative has trained troops in Niger, Mauritania, Mali
and Chad. The U.S. also maintains a military base in Djibouti
from where it coordinates anti-terrorism operations on the
continent. [See: "Do Al-Qaeda's East Africa Operations Pose a
Threat to U.S. Interests?"]

Nevertheless, with military assets tied up in Afghanistan, Iraq
and the Persian Gulf, the U.S. has not been able to devote the
necessary attention to Africa, which in turn has allowed other
countries such as China to make further inroads.

Sino-Africa Energy Relations

China currently derives a quarter of its oil imports from Africa,
with oil interests in Algeria, Angola, Chad and Sudan and
increasing stakes in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria.
China's energy interests in Chad are of particular interest given
that Chad still maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

China's growing energy partnership with Sudan represents one
of a number of areas where Sino-U.S. energy interests diverge in
Africa. China National Petroleum Corporation established oil
exploration rights in Sudan in 1995. Two years later when
Washington cut ties with Sudan, China filled the vacuum making
Sudan China's largest overseas production base. More than half
of Sudan's oil exports go to China, accounting for five percent of
China's total oil imports. C.N.P.C. owns a 40 percent stake in the
Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company and pumps over
300,000 barrels per day in Sudan. Another Chinese firm,
Sinopec, is constructing a 1500 kilometer (932 miles) pipeline to
Port Sudan on the Red Sea, where China's Petroleum
Engineering Construction Group is building a tanker terminal.

As in the case of U.S. relations with Africa, China's relations with
Africa are multidimensional. However, in recent years China's
political, economic and military relations with Africa have been
subordinated to its quest to secure energy resources in the
African continent as energy resources are being secured in
exchange for aid, arms or infrastructure investment. China's
goodwill with African states can be traced back to its support for
anti-colonial struggles in the 1960s. However, China's relations
with Africa have shifted from holding a strong ideological bias in
support of communist regimes and Marxist insurgencies to being
led by market and resource considerations.

Today the only ideological component to Sino-African relations is
the One China principle, although there are even exceptions to
this as seen in the case of growing Chinese energy interests in
Chad, which still has diplomatic relations with Taiwan. At
present, only seven African states hold diplomatic relations with
Taiwan. African states are also drawn to China by its
non-ideological, non-interventionist approach, which contrasts
with the Western approach that places an emphasis on
democracy, governance, human rights and humanitarian
intervention.

China has also appealed to Africa through numerous goodwill
gestures. For example, the Chinese foreign minister has
maintained a policy of making his first official overseas trip to the
African continent every year. For decades, China has also
supported numerous infrastructure projects across Africa, as well
as sending doctors and nurses to the region, establishing
scholarships for African students to study in Chinese universities,
providing training to African businessmen and trade officials, and
supplying funds to encourage Chinese businesses to invest in
Africa.

China also maintains dialogue with Africa through several
bilateral and multilateral forums such as the Asia-Africa Summit
and the China-Africa Business Council, which was jointly
established with the United Nations Development Programme in
November 2004 to support China's private sector investment in
Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and
Tanzania. In 2000, China also initiated the China-Africa
Cooperation Forum comprising 46 of the 53 African countries.
Among its accomplishments is canceling US$1.2 billion in debt
for 31 African countries. China is also engaged in negotiations to
create a free trade area with the Southern African Customs
Union, as well as coordinating with African states in international
organizations such as the World Trade Organization and United
Nations.

On the economic front, Sino-Africa trade increased by 50 percent
between 2002 and 2003 to US$18.5 billion, which is expected to
grow to US$30 billion by 2006. At present, 700 Chinese
companies operate in 49 African countries and eight African
countries have been granted the status of "officially approved
travel destinations" by China. China has also expanded its
military presence in the region as seen with its deployment of
peacekeepers to Liberia in December 2003, which occurred two
months after Liberia switched its diplomatic recognition from
Taiwan to China. China has also sent a peacekeeping contingent
to the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as providing
uniforms to Mozambique's army, helicopters to Mali and Angola,
and weapons to Namibia and Sierra Leone.

Many of China's diplomatic initiatives in Africa are in direct
conflict with U.S. policy toward the region. For example, Beijing
supplied US$1 billion in arms to both Ethiopia and Eritrea during
their war from 1998 to 2000. Zimbabwe's President Robert
Mugabe, whose regime has been isolated from the West due to
its forced eviction of slum dwellers and white farmers, has also
turned to China for aid. Chinese investment in Zimbabwe
amounted to US$600 million in 2004. China has upgraded
Zimbabwe's transport infrastructure, provided roofing material
for Mugabe's US$9 million palace, and provided the regime with
Chinese-made Karakoroum military trainer jets, MA60 passenger
planes, and radio-jamming equipment for a military base outside
Harare, which has been used to block transmissions by
opposition parties.

China is also one of Sudan's leading arms suppliers. Sudan is the
largest recipient of Chinese overseas investment and up to
10,000 Chinese nationals work in the country. The Sudanese
government, which has recently concluded a peace agreement
with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army
(S.P.L.M./A.) in the south, is still engaged in a conflict in the
Darfur region of western Sudan using proxy militias such as the
Janjaweed. In 2004, the U.N. Security Council was forced to
water down a resolution condemning atrocities in the Darfur
region to avoid a Chinese veto. China abstained in the vote over
the final weaker resolution. With Sudan and Iran together
supplying China with 20 percent of its oil imports, U.S. attempts
to contain these regimes bring it into direct conforntation with
China's energy security policies. [See: "Intelligence Brief:
Sudan"]

The United States and China are not the only states vying for
energy resources in Africa. Recently, Korea National Oil
Corporation obtained 65 percent oil and gas production rights in
two Nigerian offshore blocks, while India's Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation Videsh obtained a 25 percent stake. South Korea
and India are the world's fourth and sixth largest energy
consumers respectively. India and China both hold stakes in the
Greater Nile Oil Project in Sudan with India having invested
US$700 million in Sudan's oil sector. China and India have also
been engaged in direct competition for African energy resources,
as seen in October 2004 when China outbid India to buy an
interest in an offshore block in Angola. [See: "Economic Brief:
China's Energy Acquisitions"]

Conclusion

Sino-U.S. relations are going through a cold spell as a result of
disputes over U.S. quotas on Chinese-made textiles and China's
military expenditures, exchange rate policy, intellectual property
rights infringements, human rights record, and relations with
dictatorial "rogue" or anti-U.S. regimes including Iran, Myanmar,
Nepal, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. The recent postponement of
the much-anticipated meeting between Chinese President Hu
Jintao and U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington as a
result of the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina is likely to add
insult to injury among some in Beijing. [See: "Economic Brief:
Textile Quotas"]

While there have been gestures of rapprochement in Sino-U.S.
relations such as the recently initiated Sino-U.S. Strategic
Dialogue and both states along with India, Australia, Japan and
South Korea establishing an energy partnership known as the
Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development, the competition
to secure energy resources on the world stage could fuel their
already shaky relationship.

The recent failed bid by Chinese energy company China National
Offshore Oil Corporation to acquire U.S. energy company Unocal
is evidence of this. Facing a plethora of internal crises ranging
from poverty to poor governance and civil war, Africa is likely to
emerge as a volatile stage of Sino-U.S. energy competition.
African states have been drawn to China by its
non-interventionist, non-ideological approach in conducting
relations, although China's attempts to secure energy resources
in conflict-ridden states by offering aid or arms-for-oil could
heighten instability in the region.

Report Drafted By:
Chietigj Bajpaee

---

[nw_arizona_granny]

October 7, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News

6 Marines killed by roadside bombs in Iraq
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/07/iraq.main/index.html

N.Y. Commuters Head to Work Despite Threat
http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/N/NYC_SUBWAY?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME
The New York Police Department boosted existing measures to search for
bombs in commuters' bags, brief cases and luggage. The threat also
involved the possibility that terrorists would pack a baby stroller with a
bomb, a law enforcement official said

Follow-up: (NYC) Al Qaeda Plot to Bomb Subway
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/53446.htm
The terrorists were described as unemployed chemists who had recently
taken a six-week explosive training course in Afghanistan. The al Qaeda
prisoners also told U.S. officials that they planned to travel to New
York, by way of Syria, with bogus passports. Once here, they would meet
up with 19 operatives who had already been sent to New York to help set
off the bombs, the sources said.

(Iraq) Marines find insurgency's deadly tools in Haditha
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/07/iraq.haditha/index.html
Weapons cache found buried in courtyard of mosque

Police Say Bali Bombers 'New Generation'
http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/I/INDONESIA_BALI_BOMBINGS?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME

Television Station Held Subway Threat Story Over Security Concerns
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBSI1CVHEE.html

(NYC - Iraq) Informant touches off massive operation
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/nyc-how1007,0,2131650.story?coll=ny-homepage-bigpix2005

Bush hits 'Islamic radicals'
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20051007-120157-2959r.htm
President Bush yesterday gave his most detailed and defiant rationale
for the war against terrorism, branding the enemy "Islamic radicals" for
the first time and excoriating Syria and Iran

[nw_arizona_granny]

Today in History:
October 7, 1992 - Peru
Guzman Sentenced To Life
On October 7, 1992, Abimael Guzman, the founder and leader of Sendero Luminoso
(Shining Path), was sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court.

October 7, 1985 - Egypt, Italy
Hijacking of the Achille Lauro
Four Palestinian gunmen hijacked the Italian cruise ship "Achille Lauro" off Alexandria,
Egypt. While off the Syrian port of Tartus, the terrorists killed a wheelchair-bound
American. Egypt and Italy negotiated the return of the ship and the remaining
passengers. U.S. fighters intercepted an Egyptian jet carrying the hijackers and forced it
down at a NATO base in Italy.

October 7, 1970 - Libya
Fascist Evacuation Day
Celebrates the departure of the last Italian settlers from Libya. Also called "Revenge
Day."

October 7, 1958 - Pakistan
Mirza Came To Power In A Coup
President Iskander Mirza, supported by senior military officers, seized power and
imposed martial law.

October 7, (year ?) - Peru
Communist Party Founded
No information provided.

Upcoming Significant Events:
October 8, 1895 - Argentina
Juan Peron's Birthday
No information provided.

October 8, 1967 - Bolivia, Chile, Cuba
Che Guevara's Death
Che Guevara was killed by security forces in eastern Bolivia while trying, unsuccessfully,
to spark a Cuban-style uprising.

October 8, 1982 - Poland
Solidarity Union Outlawed
No information provided.

October 8, 1987 - Colombia
Rebel Umbrella Group Founded
The Simon Bolivar Guerrilla Coordinating Board (CNG) is an umbrella organization under
which the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army
(ELN), and a dissident faction of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) coordinate political
positions and organize joint terrorist operations.

October 8, 1990 - Israel
18 Arabs Die At Temple Mount
Eighteen Arabs died during clashes with police at the Temple Mount religious site. The
Arabs reported feared Jewish extremists from the Temple Mount faithful were planning to
attack the Al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosque complexes, Islam's third holiest site.

October 9, 1962 - Uganda
Independence Day
No information provided.

October 9, 1970 - Cambodia
Cambodian Monarchy Abolished
The country subsequently was named The Khmer Republic.

October 9, 1983 - Burma
Rangoon Bombing by North Korea
North Korean commandos detonated a bomb in Rangoon during a state visit by Republic
of Korea officials. Twenty-one Burmese and Korean officials were killed.

October 9, 1983 - Korea (Republic of)
Officials Killed In Rangoon
North Korean commandos detonated a bomb in Rangoon during a visit by Republic of
Korea government ministers, killing twenty-one Burmese and Korean officials.

October 10, (year unknown) - North Korea
Worker's Party Foundation Day
No information provided.

October 10, (year unknown) - South Africa
Kruger Day
Commemorates president Paul Kruger's birthday.

October 10, (year unknown) - Taiwan
Double Ten National Day
Anniversary of the revolution leading to the founding of the Chinese Republic by Sun Yat
Sen.

October 10, 1970 - Fiji
Independence Day
No information provided.

October 10, 1980 - El Salvador
FMLN Founded
The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), umbrella organization of the five
main leftist guerrilla groups in El Salvador.

October 11, (year unknown) - South Africa
Day of Solidarity
International day of solidarity with South African political prisoners.

October 11, 1972 - Panama
Constitution Day
No information provided.

October 11, 1993 - Middle East
PLO Approves Peace Accord
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council approved chairman Yasser
Arafat's peace accord with Israel by a vote of 63 to 8, with 11 members abstaining or
absent.